By Kathryn Reed

With overnight temperatures last week in the 20s and the house feeling much colder than it was outside, soup suddenly started to sound good. Plus, I had to do something with all the kale that was showing up in my CSA box.

Kim suggested I put the kale in soup. So I started snooping around the Internet for recipes. The one below comes from AllRecipes.com.

It is super yummy. Added bonuses are that it’s easy and fast to make.

I changed a few things that are not reflected in the recipe. I used 8 cups of vegetable broth – not the water-bouillon combo. Instead of white potatoes, I used the purple ones from the CSA box. I also didn’t peel them because I didn’t feel like taking the time.

The kale needs to be chopped into bite size pieces or slightly larger. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I essentially left them in strips. That doesn’t work well for eating with a spoon.

I neglected to use parsley and it didn’t seem to matter.

I also thought the flavor was great without adding salt or pepper.

Kale Soup (8 servings)

2 T olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 T chopped garlic

1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped

8 cups water

6 cubes vegetable bouillon

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

6 white potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans (drained if desired)

1 T Italian seasoning

2 T dried parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot; cook the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in the kale and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the water, vegetable bouillon, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, Italian seasoning, and parsley. Simmer soup on medium heat for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.